After a great day of riding powder at Mount Cheeseman ski area the weather forecast was looking bad again. I made the plan to hang out up at Arthurs Pass in preparation for the Temple Basin Ski Area 2014 Splitfest. I hung out in bad weather for the next week and checked out Temple Basin again while waiting for Ryan, Yossi and Pow to arrive on the weekend.
New Zealand Ski Tours
This is a breakdown of my experience after 5 years in New Zealand ski touring all over the Southern Alps with a week long Volcano mission on the North Island. Rugged and isolated with famously bad weather where it is so strong ridges don’t develop cornices it’s wild country down there with just a few roads providing access so its a splitboard on your back and takes enjoy your 5 hour approach type of place.
A Day Snowboarding Powder at Mount Cheeseman Ski Area
After a day of making the most with the ski conditions at Porters ski area we decided to go check out Mount Cheeseman Ski Area. There was a rumor that they were going to open the upper slopes. Our plan was to ride as much powder as we could before the place got tracked out.
Powder Day Riding Porters Ski area
It seemed the season was going to be a slow one as we waited for the snow to fall. After finishing the Two Thumbs Range ski traverse it was obvious we would need some powder to cover the ice. Finally the next storm arrived and we decided to head out to the Craigieburn Range and more specifically Porters ski area to see what all the talk was about.
Two Thumbs Range Traverse from Roundhill to Mount Dobson
The next two days 100 mph winds hit the mountains and barraged the Two Thumbs range. Ryan Nicols and I decided to do the Two Thumbs Range traverse from Roundhill to Dobson which was about 12 miles and 8,000 feet of vertical gain.
Back to New Zealand and Mount Dobson
After a success full season of ski touring in the Northern Hemisphere it was time to head back to New Zealand. This time I around I would take the long route through SE Asia before arriving. Once back on the South Island it was time to find a place to live. After charting upon the maps it was decided to Move to Fairlie. It was the perfect spot because it was close to Mount Dobson, Round Hill and Fox Peak. Not only that but the only road heading North and South went through town.
Riding an abandoned Treble Cone
With the Treble Cone ski resort closed for the season I decided to take the opportunity to go check it out. I had rode it for a day when I first went to New Zealand almost 10 years back and I wanted to see if my perception had changed.
Attempt at Mount Aspiring
My last ski mountaineering trip was heading up the Matukituki valley with eyes on Mt. Aspiring. I had spent quite a lot of time in the valley throughout the season and I decided to go check it out. I wasn’t sure if or what I would ski but I thought it doesn’t hurt to see how the terrain was up there.
Ski Touring the Franz Joesph Glacier of New Zealand
The day after getting off the Tasman Glacier Ryan Nicol and I were on the West Coast. We were meeting up with some friends and doing a Heli trip up to the Franz Joesph Glacier. Our plan was to ski tour from the Centennial Hut and explore the West Coast Terrain.
Snowboarding the Tasman Glacier and Ellie De Beaumont
After heading out of the Cameron Hut we refueled and stocked up on food for the next trip. It had snowed and it seemed like a weather window was coming. Wanting to make the most of clear skies we decided to head out to the Tasman Glacier in Mount Cook National Park. As the weather window was short we would be using a helicopter compared to hiking 30km up the valley.
Heading up to the Cameron Hut in the Arrowsmith Range
In early October I got the invite from Ryan Nicol to check out a zone based out of the Cameron Hut. There had been a bit of new snow and the weather wasn’t looking so good but the area looked to have lots of options. Soon we were driving from Otago into the Canterbury backcountry.